


The Gray Howler

by jaenmenses



Category: EXO, KaiSoo - Fandom
Genre: KaiSoo - Freeform, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-02-27 08:42:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13244634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaenmenses/pseuds/jaenmenses
Summary: Werewolf au





	1. First Night

It’s the sixth month that Kyungsoo can mutter the prayers instinctively for the mourning of his dead mother. ‘We are a good society.’ He recalled his father’s sayings. You mourn for your parent’s death—six months for first mourning and after those endless direful days, another four months for the second mourning was waiting.

So it’s a whole dreadful year for the mourning. That and this so called good society are what his life’s about—to avoid solecism. It didn’t really buying him any sense, except for the initial mourning that he naturally felt after his mother’s death that lasted only for a week—the rests was acceptance. The next four months of mourning would be likely to exasperate him.

It was the first week of February when Mr. Seok—the Freak Show promoter visited his father. He was the well known producer of the show in amusement parks mainly of deformity and freak creatures. His father in other way had been one of the financial sources of the seasonal show. His father, the old fine man—Lord Do, was one of the famous scholars who belongs to the upper class scholars that are convinced that freak shows were an important part of the development of their culture. Lord Do called out for his son to greet Mr. Seok at the door. Kyungsoo recalled the letter of introduction they received a week ago from a mailman, announcing the visit of Mr. Seok. His unexpected visit was unlikely to his previous ones, since the entertainment in amusement park held only in summer. But the sudden visit didn’t even lessen his father’s enthrallment.

When their chamberlain opened up the door, Mr. Seok was already standing at the doorsill. Lord Do so gracefully bowed a little with stiff poise, an elegant etiquette of an upper class man. In return, Mr. Seok pulled off his bowler hat and did so well his good manner in greeting. After, they shake hands. Kyungsoo was staring at the two old men. He knew the experience when his father did not like his acquaintance—he didn’t shake hands with them. It was not normative behaviour among the well-mannered. It was in fact considered highly inappropriate to shake hands. The more public the place in which people met, the less appropriate to shake hands, shaking hands was considered far too personal a matter to be employed casually—perhaps, Mr.Seok was so special to his father.

Kyungsoo barely noticed attentiveness when his father cleared his throat rather exaggeratedly than normal reasoning there—particularly to arrest his attention to the matter. It was natural for Kyungsoo to do nothing when meeting a person he did not care to make, but the bow was sufficient. Conversations and further acquaintance with undesirable person was not an obligation, but the bow was. He bowed slightly, though obviously unfriendly, it was as much as is needed.

Mr.Seok also bowed very gracefully, returning the gesture rather appreciatively than Kyungsoo did. He looked at Kyungsoo from head to toe. ‘Have you been ain a riding Mr. Do?’

Wearing breeches, which was the formal function when horseback riding, Kyungsoo gingerly looked down at himself. ‘Uh, no sir.’ His cheeks flushed, a rich colour. Good society. Thought Kyungsoo. That your etiquette was transparent by what you were wearing. Unlike him, Mr.Seok dusted down his dark tail coat as he watched Kyungsoo flushing. From behind Mr.Seok, he could see a glimpse of his Brougham—the vehicle for middle class people.

Lord Do knowingly studied his son for a moment before he proceeded for Mr. Seok. The two old men strolled into the living room.

It’s not done.  
He heard the whole conversations from the listings of new investments, new collections, the endless learning to ride, to shoot, to fence, to box, to swim, to row, to dance and this dreadful Freak Show. 

Kyungsoo thought that it was nothing but the exhibition of biological rarities—racism. Those uncommonly large or small humans, people with extraordinary diseases and conditions, and performances that are expected to be shocking to the viewers. Heavily tattooed or pierced people, fire-eating and sword-swallowing acts were those in such attention-getting physical performers in a Freak Show.

Kyungsoo wondered how people enjoyed the deformities when they knew the truth. How they endured to treat those humans to be their object of interest for their pastimes—loved watching a man with microcephaly combined with talent displays. The logic was ridiculous. Like how obviously ridiculous it was when they entitled the Freak Show, Human Freaks doesn’t even unnerved arrogant viewers by just reading the word Human. Kyungsoo thought that if a person with severe disease is what these people craving for, then a Lord with a cancer should have been a great example. Funny, thought Kyungsoo. 

He was sitting in the dining table watching the chamberlain prepare dinner, when he heard Mr.Seok mentioned about the Werewolves.

He turned his head unthinkingly as he tried to hear further conversations. 

 

‘It would be your best work, Mr. Seok, the best thing you are going to do.’ Lord Do exclaimed. ‘You must certainly package it this summer to the club. My fellow lords have been waiting too long enough.’

‘I don’t think I will show it anywhere in this summer.’ Mr.Seok answered. It seemed always to be like he was taking every lord to hung themselves and hungry for him.

Kyungsoo rather felt than saw his father’s elevated expressions. ‘Not show it anywhere? My dear Mr.Seok, have you any reason? You do anything in the world to gain reputation and seemed to want it to throw away. It is silly of you.’

Mr.Seok drew in a deep breath. ‘I want to package it this month. I think it’s the best time to introduce my best show this month than late.’ He added with a sentimental sweet voice.

Kyungsoo knew that lords of his father’s faction had been entranced by the promoter’s fruitful mouth. And it was impossible for them to reject this man.

‘A show like that would set you far above all the promoters and make them quite jealous.’ Lord Do said in amusement.

‘Yes, My lord. I have put too much of myself into it.’ Said Mr.Seok in a pleased voice. ‘and it pleases me to invite you to my workplace to view my special package.’

Lord Do then relaxed with laughter. ‘I do. I do.’

 

The dinner went with a little terrifying matter as the package dissected further in details. Lord Do was a little appalled at the mention of wereworlf attack. 

‘The people in the border were surprised that they had seen another attack soon after the last one.’ Said Mr.Seok. ‘when I visited the place, it was a total wrecked and unrecognisable. It took me deeply that I asked my contacts for a help to guard the border in order to be sure.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’ Said Lord Do horrified. ‘We are lucky we have decent man like you are.’

The two old men went into conversational exchanges when Kyungsoo interrupted. ‘Mr.Seok, how did you find yourself in the place? What makes you up to visit the border?’

This unnerved Mr.Seok a little but experienced in exchange of words. ‘My lord,’ said Mr.Seok chin up. ‘It’s the duty of a fine man to visit places and learn new things, rather than sit and read books.’ He ended with an upturned voice.

‘I rather go to places that interests me best than to spend time with nothing in particular, especially the border.’ Kyungsoo replied with casual tone.

It was Lord Do who broke the growing tension. ‘Mr.Seok, my apologies, my son has been in a distressful activity. There are four more months that he has to carry out for the mourning of his late mother.’

‘It’s more than distressing. It was tiring!’ Kyungsoo said. His voice rising.

Lord Do’s eyes widening but he held himself and was surprised than offended. Kyungsoo never talked like this before, let alone with a guest. It took him deeply that his hand unconsciously reaching out to touch down Kyungsoo’s arm. ‘Son, I—.’

‘—Father, I’m sorry, I am tired.’ Kyungsoo said before bounding up to the stairs.

 

***

 

They have the ability to pursue prey at sixty much kilometre per hour.

It was the first week of the first month of the year when the leader, the alpha male decided his pack to travel and hunt. Normally, he was the first to eat at a kill. 

The air was cool against the ice cliffs, on its brim stood the alpha with his subordinates behind him, neck curved upwards and waiting for their leader to start the howling. 

Kai.

It was his name—the name of respect and intimidations. Each one of his blokes admired him with ingratiating deference heartily, from the high of his muzzle to the graceful arch of his tail.  
His eyes, glowing in under the moonlight, were golden brown and warm, only it could rage when any of his pack was aggravated—by anything—by humans. It was the least of matter they envisage but often was wary and cautious.

They are not always safe.

Where there are the predators—bird catchers—there are the hunters.

It would have been easy.

 

‘Kai!’ called one of his fellow wolves. He was calling in a cry weakly.  
Kai, was unable to move behind the trees, in the dark and he thought… his first priority should be to protect their packs. If they are not prepared to protect themselves, then they are an easy target. A good alpha would never risk the safety of his people. They are his priority. And he needs to be ready for anything that comes his way… but not like this.  
Before one of them killed, Kai drove forward to crush his body against the man. And it was done. Bound, trussed and tied neatly… he was sent to place hundred miles away from his packs.

 

It’s quite dreadfully painful to transform on the full moon nights. His horrific screams can be heard blocks away. It takes like five minutes in most cases. The first two and a half minutes are a living hell. To him, as an alpha, it feels like forever even though it’s not much time. And in a final minute he was more werewolf than human and he then can take the pain. In fact, it further fuels his rage and makes him stronger as he salivates at the prospect of a fresh kill in the light of the slivery moon.

But the reverse transformation back to human form is much easier, because in most cases he passed out cold. As the sun begins to rise, his wolf form weakens, and scurries away into the nearest cover and then begun to transform and doze off to sleep. And when he was human, waking up after almost half a day, he was groggy and disoriented wearing nothing, but unlike his usual way, he woke up now in an unknown location, finding himself covered in blood and mud.

His head was heavy as his eyes open into the early sunlight. In his human form, he could endure sunlight in only several minutes and it burns. It was as if only now he noticed where he was. His arms bound, his legs tied tightly and he was inside the huge cage, the place where he was, a dark and wide. It wouldn’t matter to him the feeling of being alone with wild animals also truncated in cages except that they were all drag away from their freedom.

Suddenly he thrusts up from where he was lying half on his side. The cage was made of hard metal and was chained all over. His torso curving as he moved. His pupil enlarging as he focused each of a thing in the area. The sun forces its way through the large windows. One was open unguarded towards him. From where he sat, he could see nothing but the blinding light coming in from the outside. For a moment, he sat quietly as he tried to recall what had happened.

He was captured.

And then it shocked him at the oddness of it and tried to recall further scenes. Does any of them been killed? Is he the only one who was captured?

Though it was a little hard to remember the rest of it, he could feel, within his animal instincts, that all of them were alive. And that in fact, they, in lieu of a plan, attacked the places in the border—he was displeased that they killed many. But whenever his minds drifted to his situation, he couldn’t deny the feeling of unanimity as anger welled within him. 

There a lot many things to consider, to be worried about. Most of which was the fact of the time, as it pass each moment. He was aware that this month was the first month of the year, and he was clearly aware that the most important and practical habit he knew, only happening in the first and in the second month of the year, and happen considerably only of these months.

The mating.

 

And the wolf hunter might do captivity in a wrong time.  
They did.

 

It was the pure sensation drawing inside him; the strong and unforgivable needs to make up with these physical and congenital wants. He didn’t know what happen when an alpha missed the annual tradition. He didn’t want to know, never did imagined to experience it. 

But slowly, he was beginning to feel irritated and a sudden lack of satisfaction made him feel the rage inside him coming forth, his body begun to move ungovernable, every skin beginning to flush and open to sweat. His human form, for all he know, was more capable to desire and flesh… of human. It is not a good idea. He needed to transform into wolf again and to mate with fellow wolf. It would serve him far better than mating with human. Though he never had once experienced it, he mostly, they mostly, for most, avoided it—for their ancestors says it was addictive and could turn wolves into savages, could make them incontrollable and when desire turned out too much, it would allow them to kill their mating human.

He needed to transform to his animal form again.

There was a sudden clatter in the far end of the huge room.

Four figures approaching. 

‘Ohw, my apologies mi lord. The beast transformed into his human form.’ Said Mr. Seok.

When they reached exactly eight paces away from the cage, Kai’s lowered head slowly moved upward and for the first time in his entire life, was taken by surprised at what he had seen.

His chest begun to strain, his tongue felt thick and heavy, threatening to lull down, his breathing begun to shallow and his whole body begun to shudder.

He never knew a human could look ever beautifully like this.

 

From where he was truncated, he could feel, he could smell, he could almost taste his fresh skin, his warm blood, flowing like tendrils of tears in every beat of his heart. His eyes were the most sight he yearned for—as it moved to watch him in awe. Kai’s eyes travel inch by inch at the delicate flesh of the human. Like heartbeats, the tour was difficult in every inch, as his eyes dropped to his lips.

Kai’s breathing quickens.

And so abruptly he erupts forward to force his body out from the cage. Mr.Seok called for his men to consume him but he continued to tug at the railings.

Kyungsoo has taken a step back as he tried to contain himself, for two reasons; first, the feeling of peculiarity seeing a human, of most of it, a normal human, bound and imprisoned in a metal cage; second; the said human was oddly and scary staring at him like a wild animal, which in a sense was what Mr.Seok was telling.

Mr. Seok’s men somehow managed to manhandle the human by lashing him with a thick lash used to tame tigers. 

‘That will do for now. Soon he will transform into a wolf and that will be a good chance to show him to the amusement.’ Said Mr. Seok.

Lord Do was silent the whole time.

After, they decided to leave as the human slowed down and begun to act under control.

Kyungsoo was half way to turn around when something caught his attention.

It was so low and seemed to be coming from the ground…

‘Kyungsoo. . .’

 

He turned and saw the human staring intently at him and so slowly, his lips curved up into a grin.


	2. Sketch

To wake up and never stop going forward is the weakling choice he learned through every same day. But maybe something that’d been there would have vary and make radically different things rather than what always lay before him. He quite likes it having this continuing ailment.  
There was the family’s physician Dr. Durward.  
It was an effort to keep an unsparing exchange as Dr. Durward examine him, his father Lord Egerton Doh rushes on his heels to travel by the morning to visit the city of Farrah where Lord Dominique Doh reside—Dominique Doh, Egerton’s father, Kyungsoo’s grandfather. The Lord with the largest land granted by the Duke.   
Kyungsoo’s mind—like he’d always been—was far and flying. It’s been days since the last time he had been face to face with the warewolf. He couldn’t let go of his eyes, couldn’t move from his place before him. He couldn’t rid off his mind the exact moment where he was able to hear his growling voice like a painful rumble underground. He didn’t know if it was heard by the others too, he couldn’t remember. It wasn’t important either. And that was insanely ridiculous.  
He can’t make a word out of it but he knew the words he’d say. The emotions behind them. And as much as he can’t find words into it, it was being all non sense.   
And to see if it was just his illusion and personal trick on his own, he couldn’t help but to laugh at why his body trembled after he was locked gazing with him. He couldn’t remember every detail onwards. Everything’s went black. They lifted him, carry him to somewhere else, and woke up in his chamber—weakling, pale and alive.  
Dr. Durward fumbles on his satchel, preparing for his leave. He was an old man and kind he’d say sweet nothings to him and opens a small talk about his granddaughters. And Kyungsoo would say “Little girls are waiting for you, take care Mr. Durward.”  
A moment of clattering phials, dusting coats, goodbyes from the chamberlain, door closing and the room was silent again.  
Kyungsoo stared at the ceiling, counting on every painted images, thinking about the time with the warewolf. And as if innate, he felt his chest hard and his breathing becomes shallow. He closes his eyes and sat up. He closes his eyes to remember him. He was mad that he forgets how his face looked like. He kept a grip and tried to recall everything. And found nothing.  
The door opens. The chamberlain spoke to inform him about his father’s errand. In two days, his father’s coming home together with his grandfather Lord Dominique to discuss the final touch of the Doh sponsored gathering for noblemen. That includes the high class people’s view of Mr.Seok’s special package.  
Kyungsoo thought of the coming days. Of when he will be able to see him again. Of what he would do, what he would even say. Perhaps—that—on the day, he’ll try something to understand all this.

~~~~

The pad rasping under the unrelenting vine charcoal. Kyungsoo began the sketch when he woke up in the morning. He was doing great on it as if a painter tasked to illustrate a duke. The ailment was quite gone at least he’d tried to let them feel it that way, keeping up the effort to look well and recovered. Dealing with almost unbearable headache and a bit of vomiting were a big work to carry but he couldn’t let them know.   
Dark strokes, desperate renders—His eyes squinting in time with his moving hands. The sketch was an utter question from within his mind. Each stroke on the white pad was careful; each dab and curves of blacks and greys meant to portray not just anatomical build, but a transcription of the exact emotion. Not too satisfied, but gladly, finally channelling his passion to see him again.  
He was working on the way the little sunlight emblazed the delicate layer of the eyes, trying not to be distracted of how he’d once seen it do the same to the warewolf’s golden brown eyes, when the doors opened.  
Quickly but carefully, he slid the piece of pad into his drawer and made a good show of appearing lost in the book that was ready open under his sketch—it was clear that his desire of arts did not entertain his father’s preferences.   
He smiled as the real tell of profess hid in his eyes. A smile he’d practice in the mirror. Over and over.  
“My apology for interrupting you.” Jongdae-the chamberlain said, lowering his eyes as soon as he placed the tray of food in Kyungsoo’s table. This was just one of Kyungsoo’s lists of distastes. The calculated movements his father’s people were told to do. Once they entered the Doh’s faction they were separated from their nature.  
“You have to look into my eyes when you apologize.” Kyungsoo said his voice low and reassuring and they are sweetly phrased into Jongdae’s hearing.  
Jongdae lowered his head even more, his face blushing. He was trained to serve high class person. He was trained to be part of the Doh. “My lord, I thought you might want to get ready for the event.”  
Kyungsoo snatches the glance under Jongdae’s lowered head and tried to hold them. “Are you going too?” He knew the answer in Jongdae’s slow to act responses. “You talked it over with lord Egerton. I’m truly not going.”  
“Have you seen it?” Kyungsoo took one éclair from the plate and stuffed it into his mouth without any manner. Jongdae’s hands acted quickly with a napkin but Kyungsoo took a hold of his wrist. Holding the napkin in his hands Jongdae sighed and watched Kyungsoo munch on his food in the way he liked.  
“The warewolf?” Jongdae said to himself. “Why do people hunt them? What satisfies them by taking them in cages? These creatures… they don’t deserve this.”  
Jongdae spoke again, this time with his eyes up to Kyungsoo, studying him as if it held the answer to his questions. “Why do you want to see this warewolf?”  
They had not spoken of other things unrelated to this house. Yet this was the best talk he would like to hear from his chamberlain.  
“I’ll go change.” Kyungsoo finished his food with one long drink of water. He turned on his heels and walked into his closet. “I wanted to see him.” He turned around and faced the mirror,  
“I think we all are.” 

 

To be continued...

~~~~

’


End file.
